The present invention relates to a tone signal generation device of a sampling system type which samples a tone signal applied from outside and stores it in a memory and generates a tone signal by reading out waveform sampled data stored in this memory at a desired tone pitch by key operation or the like operation and, more particularly, to a tone signal generation device having a built-in tone source and being capable of storing either a tone signal generated from this built-in tone source or a sampled tone signal from outside selectively in the memory and thereby being capable of treating the tone signal generated from the built-in tone source in the same manner as the sampled tone signal from outside.
The present invention relates also to a tone signal generation device of a sampling system type capable of storing a tone signal from a built-in tone source when a tone signal from outside has not been applied for a predetermined period of time after designation of sampling of a tone signal from outside.
The present invention further relates to a tone signal generation device of a sampling system type having various functions.
As electronic musical instruments of a sampling system type, there are ones such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 33199/1986 and 47435/1986. In these prior art electronic musical instruments of a sampling system type, a tone signal from outside is merely sampled and stored in a memory and, even if there is a tone source in the electronic musical instrument, a tone signal from this internal tone source cannot be stored in the memory for sampling. Accordingly, a tone signal from the internal tone source cannot be subjected to the same processings, i.e., sampled tone editing processings, as are applied to a tone signal sampled from outside. The sampled tone editing processings herein mean processings including ones according to which a sampled tone is sounded repeatedly and reading of a sampled tone from the memory is made by reading addresses in a reverse direction.
In a case where waveform sampled data of a tone signal sampled from outside is written in a memory, write address of the memory generally changes at a predetermined reference rate (e.g., tone pitch of A4 tone). If this memory is accessed with an address signal which changes in accordance with the same reference rate, waveform sampled data is read out from the memory and sounded at the same tone pitch as the tone pitch of the sampled external tone. Further, by changing the rate of the read address signal in accordance with a desired tone pitch, a tone signal corresponding to the sampled external tone can be sounded at a desired tone pitch corresponding to the read rate.
On the other hand, it has been conceived that, in a case where a tone signal from outside is sampled, selection is made as to whether the sampled tone signal should be used in a part of bass tones or in a part of normal tone range such as melody or chord. In this case, the prior art tone generation device is so constructed that a tone signal sampled from outside is written in a memory as it is at a predetermined reference rate.
In the above described prior art electronic musical instrument of a sampling system type, a tone signal from outside is merely sampled and stored in a memory and, accordingly, even if there is an internal tone source in the electronic musical instrument, a tone signal from this internal tone source cannot be stored in the memory for sampling so that the tone signal from the internal tone source cannot be subjected to the same processings, i.e., the sampled tone editing processings, as are applied to the tone signal sampled from outside. The prior art device is therefore disadvantageous in that it cannot utilize functions of the electronic musical instrument of a sampling system type to the fullest extent.
Besides, the prior art electronic musical instrument is not so adapted that a write control of a sampled tone is performed having regard to a performance part in which the sampled tone signal is used and, accordingly, a sampled tone of a part of lower tone range such as bass tones and a sampled tone of a part of a normal tone range are sometimes written in a memory at the same tone pitch. This necessitates capability of a read control circuit to cope with a broader tone range for enabling a tone to be sounded in sufficiently broad tone range during reading and performance of a tone with resulting complication in the circuit design.
In a case where an external tone signal has not been applied or sampled due to some reason (e.g., erroneous operation in sampling the external tone, disorder of a microphone, failure in inputting of the external tone, or interruption of the external tone sampling operation by leaving of the performer from his seat) notwithstanding that the performer has designated sampling of the external tone signal by operation of a switch or the like means, the prior art device maintains a standby state to receive an external tone signal. This is because an external tone must be always sampled for a sampled tone to be sounded during performance.
In the electronic musical instrument of a sampling system, as described above, if an external tone signal has not been applied or sampled for some reason notwithstanding that sampling of the external tone signal has once been designated, a standby state to receive an external tone signal is maintained indefinitely. Therefore, when the performer who is not aware of this erroneous operation or who has returned to his seat after leaving it starts to play on the keyboard, a tone sometimes is not sounded despite depression of a key because the tone has not been sampled in the memory yet. Moreover, the performer tends to misunderstand this state in which the tone is not sounded despite depression of the key to be a disorder of the device.